The present invention relates to a splatter guard for air polishing dental devices. In the prior art, devices designed to polish teeth to remove heavy plaque and the like using a combination of air and water under pressure are known. However, due to the high pressure of the air-water combination, the patients and operators face and clothes become splattered with the fluid emanating from the air polisher. Furthermore, the splashing of the spray causes saliva, blood and bacteria to be splashed out of a patient's mouth. As such, a need has developed to minimize the splattering caused by these types of dental devices.
In response to this need, Applicant has developed a splatter guard which is designed to be used with air polishing dental devices to prevent splattering of fluids and unwanted materials on a patient or operator of the device.
In the prior art, dam devices designed to protect teeth are known. Ross U.S. Pat. No. 4,600,387, Sauveur U.S. Pat. No. 4,820,155 and Gray U.S. Pat. No. 4,828,491 all disclose dental dams designed to create an operative field for dental work. None of these references teach or fairly suggest a splatter guard for use with an air polishing dental device.
Erickson U.S. Pat. No. 4,281,986 discloses a dental appliance for evacuating debris and liquid from a patient's mouth which includes a collector member and a flexible collector membrane. The collector membrane is planer in shape and is designed to facilitate the evacuation of debris and liquid from a patient's mouth. The teachings of Erickson are different from
that of the present invention in that Erickson does not teach or fairly suggest a bell-shaped guard designed to prevent the spraying or splattering of fluids from a patient's mouth.
The following prior art references were made of record during the prosecution of the parent application:
Wood U.S. Pat. No. 362,808 discloses a dental polishing device having a distal facing cup in which powder is placed, with the cup being rotated to polish the teeth. The present invention differs from the teachings of Wood as contemplating a bell-shaped chamber designed to fit over the outlet conduit of an existing dental polishing machine.
Lokken U.S. Pat. No. 4,611,992 discloses a spray guard for a dental tool including a housing with a side opening designed to receive a dental polishing tool. The present invention differs from the teachings of Lokken as contemplating a bell-shaped chamber having a proximal end with an opening designed to receive the outlet conduit of an existing dental polishing device and with a distal enlarged opening.
Wright et al. U.S. Pat. No. 4,850,868 disclose a spray shield having a housing having a narrow distal end and a conically shaped proximal end. This differs from the teachings of the present invention wherein a bell-shaped member having an internal chamber is provided with the inventive member being attached over an existing outlet conduit of an existing dental polishing machine with the smaller diameter portion proximally.
German Document No. 2 024 656 to Schonauer discloses a device designed to avoid contamination of the air around a patient undergoing medical and odontological treatment as well as the appliance for their use. In the Schonauer device, a flexible and transparent sleeve is placed over the end of a dental device with a drill bit 9 or air nozzle 14 shown located adjacent the enlarged distal opening of the sleeve. The present invention differs from the teachings of Schonauer as contemplating a bell-shaped device designed to attach on the outlet conduit of an existing dental polishing device and wherein the outlet nozzle of the existing dental polishing device terminates within a proximal smaller diameter portion of the chamber thereof.